Past years in Pickering: Sketches of the History of the Community

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Past years in Pickering: Sketches of the History of the Community. William R. Wood. (1911)Published in 1911, this book was written by William R. Wood, the one time Presbyterian Minister of Claremont, Ontario.

The Pickering we think of today is a city which exists within the urban sprawl of Greater Toronto, astride the main road between Kingston and Toronto. But this book is actually about the Township of Pickering, an administration district within Durham County, comprising several communities and rural districts, just one of which originated as the village of Pickering proper. The Rev. William has provided us with, as he puts it, "a series of sketches," taking for their subjects various aspects of life and development of the Township. These sketches are filled with references to inhabitants and families who played a role in the settling and development although for a more in-depth examination of the inhabitants we turn to his last chapter which occupies fully one third of the book and provides the biographies of hundreds of local people and, frequently, their families. The Archive CD Books Project exists to make reproductions of old books, documents and maps available on CD to genealogists and historians, and to cooperate with local libraries, museums and record offices in providing money to renovate old books in their collection, and to donate books to their collections, where they will be preserved for future generations.